3 Totally Free Ways To Get Your Credit Report
By Greg Quincy, Thu Dec 8th

Yes, you can now get your credit report without paying a dime.And unlike before, now it is truly free. No longer do you haveto sign up for a "free" credit report by signing up for "creditmonitoring protection service" for a low annual fee of $79 ayear! The days of dodging the annoying charges and service feesfor a free credit report are over.

Under the 2003 Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act, youhave the right to a free copy of your credit report within a 12month period from the big three credit report bureaus (Experian,Equifax and TransUnion). The goal of this new government act isto ensure that Americans have the right to stay informed aboutwhat these three credit reporting bureaus say about you withouthaving to pay for it. Since identity theft, fraud and errors arequite common today, why should you have to pay for a copy of areport to fight back against these problems?

Here are the 3 ways to get your free annual credit report:

1) The three credit reporting agencies have created a website torequest your annual credit report. Go towww.annualcreditreport.com to order your report.

2) Call (877) 322-8228 to request your free credit report.

3) Complete a form from the Federal Trade Comission,http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/include/requestformfinal.pdf andmail it to: Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281.

If you go

directly to the three agencies or use any other typeof service you may end up having to pay or sign up for thesubscription services I mentioned above! Make sure you use oneof the 3 methods I have listed to get your annual free creditreport.

You can get the reports from all 3 agencies at once or staggerthe reports from each one during the course of 1 year. Theadvantage of staggering the reports that you receive is to keeptrack of how any major changes in your financial picture affectwhat is on your credit report. For example, if you plan ongetting a second mortgage over the coming year, or applying forstudent loans, ect. it might be wise to get a report before andafter these major events!

This new Act does not supplant the other methods you can takeadvantage of to receive a free credit report. If you areapplying for unemployment or been denied a loan, or need acredit report in order to get a job, you still have the right toobtain a free credit report.

Take advantage of this new government regulation and make sureall of the information listed by all three credit reportingagencies are correct. Any errors or omissions can reduce yourcredit score and end up costing you a lot of money when youapply for any type of credit.

About the author:Greg Quincy is the publisher of the websitewww.financialtipsforyou.com, offering his insights and personalfinance budget tips that he has gained from working in thefinancial industry and the economic challenges of raising afamily. Copyright © 2005 FinancialTipsForYou